Report of Belarusian Interior Minister Igor Shunevich

Punishment for drug users
and drug dealers for drug-related crimes should be strictly differentiated, Belarus’
President Alexander Lukashenko said as he heard out a report by Interior
Minister Igor Shunevich on 22 May.

The head of state asked the interior minister to
update him on the crime rate in the county and the efforts to combat drug
dealing.

“What kind of problems do we have there? Maybe, we
have missed something or made mistakes while passing respective laws. Back then
I insisted on toughening punishment for those who produce, supply and sell
drugs. We need to strictly differentiate between drug users and drug dealers,”
Alexander Lukashenko said.

According to Igor Shunevich, the crime rate in the
country continues to fall. “We do not observe anything extraordinary. I believe
the level of crime control we have achieved enables us to get a real picture of
the situation and to provide an adequate response to challenges and threats
associated with this social phenomenon,” the minister said.

At the meeting with Igor Shunevich who is also the
chairman of HC Dinamo Minsk Supervisory Council, Alexander Lukashenko said:
“Our team deserved to be relegated from the elite division. They do not belong
there with such a poor game. But we cannot accept this,” the head of state
noted.

The head of state asked about the future prospects
of HC Dinamo Minsk which is the main base for training players for the national
team. “Today, the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation complains that HC Dinamo
Minsk does not fulfill its obligations. The hockey club says that it has its
own interests, it needs to play and show results in the Kontinental Hockey
League. To avoid disagreements, we need to do the following: the country’s best
players should play in Dinamo Minsk and the club’s best players should be in
the national team,” the president said.

“The preference should be given to the national
team. The national team should include Belarusian players and, first of all,
goaltenders. Having neither efficient defense nor offense is not good. If they
cannot score some ten goals in ten games, they are not a team,” Alexander Lukashenko.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the
cooperation of the Belarusian Interior Ministry with foreign countries. The
sides are interested in exchanging the best practices for the maintenance of
public security. “We have something to share. These contacts will be
implemented soon via practical agreements and terms,” he added.